I've been told by almost every rider I know that I should get any bike that 'fits' but I just couldn't resist online bargains on offer...Focus is $230 dearer than Raleigh but willing to pay extra if it's worth the money.

The bike you buy will be the one that you really enjoy riding and is the correct size for you.

The Focus is a nice bike. I would suggest go and vist a few local LBS and test ride a few to see what bike puts the biggest smile on your dial.

For the the biggest part of the bike is getting it fitted to your size.

If a bike is set up for you then you can't go wrong

Thanks

auswi2

Thanks for the advice I couldn't find any LBS selling FOCUS or RALEIGH (In Canberra... Merida / Giant / Trek / FUJI are all we have to pick from here....). Do you think I'd be okay buying Focus online based on my inseam length and have it fitted professionally ?

I didn't get any good test rides due to my height (needed between 60 and 62cm bike depending on brand), but the closest was a Focus Cayo 58cm. I was hoping it might ride a little larger than the 58cm claim, and the shop said it should be fine. When they adjusted the seat properly, it was obvious the bike was a little small and they said 60cm would be perfect. So if you do your research well enough on what size you need, Focus should be pretty close to average, maybe even slightly on the high side, as I got a 62cm Trek. Incidentally, I quite disagreed with the look of the Focus Cayo once I saw it in the flesh, but my untrained mind thought it felt very solid and stiff up some steep hills.

One of the big things you are comparing with the selections you posted was that one was running shimano gear and the other was SRAM. They both shift differently and you may prefer one over the other. I run shimano on everything as I prefer it. Couldn't get used to SRAM shifters on one bike and shimano on the other.

You should try a bike with campy too as that shifts differently again and you may prefer it.